"'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: {290} Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever.'" "Mamma," said Harold, "sheep don't eat at tables, or have cups." "No," said mamma, smiling, "that shows us that, after all, this psalm is about a man, and not about a sheep. It means that when troubles and dangers are all about us God still gives all that we need. Sometime that will mean a great deal more to you than it does now." "I don't understand," said Margaret, "about anointing the head with oil, and dwelling in the house of the Lord." "In the Bible land," said mamma, "when a man wished to honor a guest whom he had invited to a feast, he poured out a little sweet-smelling oil upon his head. The psalm means that God makes his people, even when they are in the midst of danger, feel as happy as though they were honored guests at a feast. To dwell in the house of the Lord forever means that we are to feel always perfectly secure, as though we were living in God's own house, where nothing could ever harm us." Harold thought a moment, and then he said, "I think that I know what all the stories about sheep in the Bible mean. They mean that people are like sheep, and they can't take care of themselves, but that God loves them very much, and that he will always take care of them." "Yes, that is just it," said mamma, "and now! as it is {291} growing dark, let us sing that song which is the twenty-third psalm put into different words." "The Lord is my shepherd; no want shall I know; I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest; He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when oppressed. "Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray, Since Thou art my guardian, no evil I fear; Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay; No harm can befall, with my Comforter near. "In the midst of affliction my table is spread; With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o'er; With perfume and oil Thou anointest my head; O what shall I ask of Thy providence more? "Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God, Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above; I seek, by the path which my forefathers trod Through the land of their sojourn, Thy kingdom of love." {292} LITTLE BROTHERS OF THE AIR AND FIELDS